I’m going to post two MLS press releases that I received last week, but did not have the time to post. Catching up now. One is from Fox and the other from Comcast SportsNet Philly.
We have this official announcement from Fox Soccer Channel regarding the announcers for Major League Soccer which includes the addition of JP Dellacamera. JP will call Friday night games for MLS. Former US National team member Eric Wynalda will be pre and postgame show host. And Kyle Martino and Christopher Sullivan round out the MLS team for FSC. Here’s the release.
WYNDALDA, MARTINO, SULLIVAN AND DELLACAMERA COMPRISE FOX SOCCER’S 2011 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER BROADCAST TEAM
MLS on FOX Kicks Off Season with Colorado-Portland on March 19
Los Angeles (March 10, 2011) – FOX Soccer, America’s premier soccer-only channel, today announced its 2011 Major League Soccer on-air broadcast team, led by Eric Wynalda with Christopher Sullivan and Kyle Martino, who is joined by renowned play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera in the broadcast booth.
MLS coverage on FOX Soccer begins Saturday, March 19 in Colorado as the Portland Timbers – one of two new expansion teams – visit the MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids. FOX Soccer will broadcast 31 regular season MLS matches, including 14 Friday night matches and 17 on Saturday nights. Twenty of the 31 broadcast windows are exclusive to FOX Soccer.
“FOX Soccer is proud to announce an all-star lineup of studio announcers and analysts to cover what is sure to be the most exciting MLS season to date,” said Dermot McQuarrie, Senior Vice President of Production at FOX Soccer. “Eric Wynalda leads a talented group of former U.S. National Team and Major League Soccer players turned soccer analysts, and they are joined by JP Dellacamera, who will offer a veteran’s insight into the beautiful game. This talented team of broadcasters demonstrates our commitment to provide play-by-play and game analysis of the highest quality for our MLS coverage.”
National Soccer Hall of Famer Wynalda is host of FOX Soccer’s pre-game, halftime and post-game shows alongside Sullivan. Wynalda is one of the most decorated athletes in U.S. Soccer history, tallying 34 goals in 104 appearances for his country, second only to Landon Donovan. He was named U.S. Player of the Decade for the 1990s and scored the first goal in MLS history as a member of the San Jose Clash in 1996.
Sullivan, who represented the U.S. during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, previously served as a color commentator for MLS Saturday on FOX Soccer. He can also be seen teaming up with Wynalda as expert analyst on FOX Soccer’s UEFA Champions League coverage.
Dellacamera, who has commentated on seven consecutive FIFA World Cups, will call the play-by-play for all 14 Friday night-exclusive matches on FOX Soccer. Dellacamera was the lead soccer voice for men’s and women’s soccer for the last two Olympic Games and covered MLS from 2008-10. He also serves as the current play-by-play voice for the Philadelphia Union.
In addition to his MLS duties, Martino, the 2002 MLS Rookie of the Year, currently co-hosts Super Sunday + on FOX Soccer. Following his six-season professional playing career, Martino provided radio commentary for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and served as color commentator for MLS and U.S. National Team telecasts.
Rounding out the broadcast team and providing sideline commentary will be Brian Dunseth, who since 2006 has provided television and radio commentary for MLS club Real Salt Lake and FOX Soccer. During his professional playing career, he served as captain of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team in Sydney, leading the American team to a fourth-place finish.
Additional play-by-play analysts for FOX Soccer’s Saturday MLS coverage include Mark Rogandino, Allen Hopkins, Dave Johnson and Keith Bleyer.
And after the jump, we have an MLS-centric release from Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.
Last week, the MLS’ Philadelphia Union announced that Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and its sister channel, the Comcast Network would partner to air games that aren’t aired on national TV. Comcast SportsNet joins current over the air partner, WPVI in airing Union games which means all of the team’s contests will be shown on local TV. We have your press release.
Philadelphia Union Add Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network to Local Television Platform
Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network join WPVI-TV to televise 27 Union games
Chester, Pa. (March 10, 2011) – Philadelphia Union has added Comcast SportsNet and the Comcast Network to their family of local television partners, the club announced today. Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network will join current Union broadcast partner 6abc to air all Philadelphia Union games that are not televised nationally. WPVI-TV/6abc continues in its second season as the Union’s official broadcast partner and will air seven of the team’s 34 total matches this season, while Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network will air 20 matches. All matches will be broadcast in high definition.
“We are excited to add Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network to our already strong local television platform,” said Philadelphia Union Chief Revenue Officer Dave Rowan. “With the combination of Comcast SportsNet, the area’s top destination for live sports, and WPVI, the top rated station in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys, we are proud to say that we have some of the greatest local television partners in Major League Soccer.”
Calling all of the matches will be long-time MLS and ESPN play-by-play commentator JP Dellacamera and former MLS player and current MLS analyst Taylor Twellman. Philadelphia soccer icon Bob Rigby will serve as sideline reporter as well as provide some studio commentary.
This new partnership also includes a weekly magazine show entitled “State of the Union,” which will air Friday nights throughout the season.Air times are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on The Comcast Network and 11:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. Host Amy Fadool, Rigby and a variety of other guests will give fans an inside view of the Union both on and off the field.
“We are thrilled to partner with Philadelphia Union to provide soccer fans of the Delaware Valley with more soccer games and programming than ever before on both Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network, including 20 high definition game broadcasts and the weekly ‘State of the Union’ program,” said Comcast SportsNet Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Monihan.
Each game telecast will also include a 30-minute pregame show, as well as a special post-game show at select dates throughout the season.
Please check your local listings for Comcast SportsNet and The Comcast Network. WPVI in HD can be seen on Comcast Digital Channel 231, DirecTV Channel 6, DishTV Channel 8150 and Verizon Fios channel 514.
There have also been three changes to the Union’s 2011 schedule. Home matches against Chivas USA and FC Dallas on June 25 and August 13, respectively, have been pushed back from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Additionally, an away match against the New England Revolution, originally scheduled for July 16, has been moved to Sunday, July 17, 7:00 p.m.
The Union begin the 2011 season at the Houston Dynamo on March 19th and return home to open PPL Park on March 26th against MLS newcomer, the Vancouver Whitecaps.
2011 Philadelphia Union Television Schedule
Mar. 19 at Houston 8:30 PM* WPVI
Mar. 26 Vancouver 4:00 PM WPVI
Apr. 2 at LA 10:30 PM TCN
Apr. 9 New York 7:00 PM ESPN2
Apr. 16 Seattle 4:00 PM CSN
Apr. 23 at Salt Lake 9:00 PM TCN
Apr. 30 San Jose 4:00 PM WPVI
May 6 at Portland 10:30 PM FSC
May 11 LA 7:30 PM TCN
May 14 at Dallas 8:30 PM TCN
May 21 Chicago 8:00 PM CSN/Galavision
May 28 at Toronto 4:30 PM CSN
Jun. 4 at Colorado 9:00 PM CSN
Jun. 11 Salt Lake 4:00 PM WPVI
Jun. 18 at Vancouver 10:00 PM TCN
Jun. 22 Kansas City 7:30 PM TCN
Jun. 25 Chivas USA 8:00 PM WPVI
Jul. 2 at D.C. United 7:30 PM FSC
Jul. 9 at San Jose 10:30 PM CSN
Jul. 17 at New England 7:00 PM CSN
Jul. 23 at Seattle 10:00 PM CSN
Jul. 29 Colorado 7:00 PM FSC
Aug. 3 at Chicago 9:00 PM CSN
Aug. 6 Houston 8:00 PM WPVI
Aug. 13 Dallas 8:00 PM WPVI
Aug. 20 at Columbus 7:30 PM TCN
Aug. 28 New England 7:00 PM CSN
Sept. 10 Portland 7:30 PM TCN
Sept. 17 Columbus 7:30 PM TCN
Sept. 23 at Kansas City 8:30 PM FSC
Sept. 29 D.C. United 8:00 PM ESPN2
Oct. 2 at Chivas USA 8:00 PM TCN
Oct. 15 Toronto 4:00 PM CSN
Oct. 20 at New York 8:00 PM ESPN2All times are EST. Please note that all dates, times and channels are subject to change.
* Denotes that there will be a post-game as well as pre-game show
That concludes this post.
